The Mahogany Bench
by missyJuliette
Summary: It all started here on this mahogany bench


Hello there, readers!! First of all, I would like to tell you all that nothing here is mine. The plot is my sister's and the names are of Higuchi Tachibana. Pardon me of you find any mistakes. I read a few but I'm too lazy to edit them so please do pardon me. And I would like to remind you to please drop a review after reading this. May you enjoy this…and yeah, Natsume will be acting just a bit off from his normal sef.

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It was a gusty autumn afternoon, the leaves danced while falling from the trees; they seem to enjoy their falling. Maybe they got used to it. But for Mikan, falling is not much of a pleasant experience for her. She's alone now.

Sitting on a bench while holding in her hand the thing that made her remember about a person, Mikan was reminiscing the past, thinking about all the things she has done for the past 12 months of her life, she counted it, no more no less. This past has been bothering her since that faithful day. And now, she has decided to put the past where it belongs. And so, as a part of her renewing, she has made up her mind to leave the guitar right there in the bench where she's sitting right now. And so, she did. She laid the thing on the antique mahogany bench like leaving an important piece of herself there. She wanted to move on and just forget, and let destiny befall on that object. She stood up and walked away, she tried not to look back.

So there, right there in that lonely mahogany bench is where her story began, a story which you may be in now.

A year ago, when the sun still shines brightly, everything seems to be perfect. April, yes, the first day of April, she's gone to the park where she would meet her mother. She was told to wear a nice dress for her mother's welcome party in her new job. She's stood there, in the park for 15 minutes, observing a lot of people passing by, including a babbly group of boys her age. Her feet are gone numb because of the sandals she's wearing. She walked around and found a bench by the far corner of the park. She sat down.

Natsume was with his friends. They're out to look for a "prey". They're up to do the annual April fool's joke on the park. And when they reached there, they saw a girl, pretty, yes, they all agreed, but nonetheless a perfect victim for the jest they've just prepared. And what's in store for the fool's game? — a big hairy spider ready to itch anybody. So, when the girl sat down, they slowly tip toed behind her and placed the shaggy spider at her back.

Mikan squeaked, yes, literally squeaked! She got off her seat and tried to figure out just what creature "fell" on her back that caused her to dance around the spot in front of the bench.

The boys laughed their hearts out. And that's the first time they've met. Right there in that antique mahogany bench on that most unexpected day.

And, as time passed by, they've known each other better as friends, especially when they discovered they share a lot of thoughts in common. They share almost the same experiences in life, and both of them have the same hobbies, and that is playing the guitar. Sometimes, they hang out with a peer playing the guitar, singing songs and sharing laughs.

8 months passed and everything seems to be in perfect shape. They do the same stuffs they enjoy. And things go from good to better. Their friendship grew stronger and each gave important value to one another.

Until, one typical night hang-out, Natsume decided to tell his friends the news that they would never expect. Mikan was there and she noticed that Natsume was not in his self that night. She knew instantly, that something's bothering him.

"I don't want to surprise you with this news, but I need to tell you right now.

My father received an offer for a job in . . .Tokyo.."

The group started to protest to Natsume's news. "I know, I know, but I can't do

anything," Natsume continued. Tears started to trickle down their cheeks. They

can't imagine how their friendship would end up. The night ended with

mournful sighs, wishing that their friend would stay. But they also knew

among themselves, that Natsume could never do such a thing as to disappoint his

parents.

So, as the last gust of cold wind blew in the night, Mikan was sitting on the bench, on the antique mahogany bench. Natsume went for a walk in the park, and they saw each other. Natsume drew closer and sat beside her. She's glad he could spend even a little time to talk to her even before he'd go and fly.

"Funny, isn't it? This is where we first met."

"Yah, and remember the allergy caused by that stupid spider game."

"Nah . . . Don't think too much about it; just think of it as a bridge for us to know each other. You should even thank that spider, you wouldn't know me if it hadn't bit you."

They both laughed at the fresh memory they just conveyed.

And, as the world spins around them, she looked at him square in the eye while he's busy talking about some of their group's most unforgettable experiences, she's felt something. She felt tears in her eyes, tears that burn and tears that are just there for the short span of time. She reminisced all that happened. And when she landed back to where she's sitting, she realized, this man is a bad person, a bad person because he's leaving and yet he stole he heart that very evening. She realized she hadn't paid much attention to him. And now that he's leaving, she can't do much but to say good-bye.

Early in the morning of the scheduled flight of Natsume, the group decided to send him to the airport. Mikan felt bad. And when they reached Natsume's house, they saw their friend leaning on the wall, strumming his guitar and humming with the tune he's playing. They knew it would really be a bad experience for him. And when they reached the airport, they knew it was time to say good-bye. Mikan couldn't stop her tears. She cried. Natsume marched toward her. He knew how she felt.

"Don't cry. I'll be back for all of you. Friends Forever?"

"Friends Forever."

To comfort Mikan, Natsume gave her his most treasured possession, his guitar. She doesn't know how to react to this, so she just wiped her tears and said her good-byes to him. And that morning was the last day Mikan saw Natsume.

4 months after he left, the group started to be on their own, their friendship didn't last like forever. Mikan was still there, clinging to the last bit of everything. But the day has come, an exact one year after meeting him; she has made up her mind to leave the guitar right there in the bench where she's sitting right now. And so, she did. She laid the thing on the antique mahogany bench like leaving an important piece of herself there. She wanted to move on and just forget, and let destiny befall on that object.  
She stood up and walked away, she tried not to look back. Her body just doesn't cooperate. She started to walk away, but her steps became smaller and smaller until . . . a voice from behind called her attention.

"Hey! Are you just going to leave my guitar here?"

She froze to where she's standing, she did not see the person talking, but she could feel her heart beat with happiness. And when she turned, a face she did not expect to meet again. And Natsume ran to her and hugged her, right in front of the antique mahogany bench.

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There you have it! So please review so that I, rather we, will know what people think of this.. Thanks.


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